Sunset Selection Swiss Chard organic seeds

The 'Sunset Selection' Swiss Chard is a chard with very decorative yellow-orange midribs, offered here as organic seeds. Its thick, juicy petioles, combined with a bright green, shiny lamina, add colour to the vegetable garden and the plate. A productive and regular variety, it is suitable for harvesting young leaves or beautiful chard stems to prepare gratins and stir-fries. Not very sensitive to cold, capable of regrowing after each cut, it is an excellent leaf vegetable for staggered harvests, particularly in autumn and winter cultivation under an unheated greenhouse or polytunnel.

Botanically, 'Sunset Selection' belongs to the species Beta vulgaris, family Amaranthaceae. This species is known by the names chard, Swiss chard, silverbeet, and sometimes jotte or joute depending on the region. It is a biennial plant: it produces leaves in the first year, then sends up a tall flower spike in the second, with small glomerules of greenish flowers, pollinated mainly by the wind. The name "Poirée" comes from a popular soup, "porée", consumed in the Middle Ages, of which it was the main ingredient.
'Sunset Selection' is a non-hybrid selection, distributed as organic seeds by De Bolster, under the name Beta vulgaris subsp. cicla ‘Sunset Selection’. It differs from "classic" chards with white stems by its thick, bright yellow-orange midribs reminiscent of sunset colours, and by a rather compact habit, about 40 cm tall. The leaves, medium to dark green, slightly blistered, have a fleshy, non-fibrous texture. Under favourable conditions (deep, organically rich soil, regular watering), growth is rapid: young leaves can be harvested 6 to 8 weeks after sowing, and the plant can produce continuously for several months if the outer leaves are regularly picked.

Chard is a very ancient vegetable from the Mediterranean basin, already mentioned by the Greeks and Romans, and remains at the heart of many regional cuisines – Nice chard pie, Walloon tarte al d’jote, stuffed vegetables and tians where leaves and stems are used without wasting any part of the plant.

In the kitchen: Sunset Selection chard can be cooked in various ways: tender young leaves are enjoyed raw in salad, mixed with other greens, while more developed leaves are prepared like spinach, in a pan, in omelettes, quiches or vegetable lasagnes. The stems are cut into sections to prepare béchamel gratins, stir-fries with garlic and herbs, woks or tagines, and stand up very well to steaming before being sautéed in butter or olive oil. They can also be used in everyday family cooking, in soups, vegetable stuffings, mild curries or stews. Their mild, slightly sweet flavour pairs well with cheese, cream and eggs, but also with Mediterranean spices and herbs.
Low in calories and rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals, Chard should be consumed in moderation by people suffering from arthritis and rheumatism, as it contains oxalates.

Harvest: leaves and stems are harvested as needed by selecting the largest ones, located on the periphery. To use young leaves, cut the rosettes with scissors when the leaves are 10 to 15 cm long, and you will get several regrowths. In autumn and winter cultivation, harvest in the same way, preferably choosing a frost-free day and then protecting the stumps (mulching, winter fleece) to extend production.

Storage: chard keeps for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator after harvest, in the vegetable drawer, in a perforated bag or box. To freeze: you can separate leaves and stems, wash, cut, blanch for 2–3 minutes in boiling water, cool quickly in ice water, drain and then freeze in bags. The colour of the stems remains very good after freezing.

The 'Sunset Selection' chard is used both as a vegetable and as an ornamental plant, in kitchen garden squares, mixed flower and vegetable borders, or large containers on a terrace. Its yellow-orange stems create a lovely contrast with multicoloured varieties like 'Bright Lights' chard, or with chards with very wide white stems like ‘Lucullus’. It can be combined with decorative kale such as 'Nero di Toscana' with blue-green foliage, or the curly kale ‘Redbor F1' with deeply cut purple leaves, to create a colourful vegetable garden corner that remains beautiful all winter.

The gardener's tip: Carry out regular hoeing and weeding, and mulching is recommended in case of drought.